The Next Generation: Kanto
by misty4ever
Summary: Ash and Misty's twin daughters, Audrey and Bethany of Pallet Town, embark on their Pokemon quest through the Kanto Region! Follow them as they catch Pokemon, make new friends, and forge rivalries.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Greetings, my esteemed readers! Thank you for taking the necessary "click" to begin reading this fanficiton story. Because this particular story is a sequel (that of _Pokemon: All Grown Up_), I believe it is necessary to give a reprise—this will be as brief as possible. It is not crucial for you to have read the afore-mentioned story, though it is encouraged; that story has some very positive reviews, I must say. This reprise includes who married whom and who their kids are, followed by a list of the main characters out of the characters described here. On one more note…my current Profile Picture is that of the main characters from this story, _The Next Generation: Kanto_. I drew it myself. I hope you appreciate it! If you feel that you would like to spare yourself "the details," you may skip this prologue and jump right into the story.

Reprise of _Pokemon: All Grown Up_

_Pokemon: All Grown Up_ focuses on Ash once he has finished traveling and catching Pokemon. He holds a great banquet, inviting everyone from his journeys, and also plans to propose to either Misty or May. In the end, he proposes to Misty. That constitutes most of the story: the build-up to whom he wants to marry. So Ash and Misty get married and live happily ever after.

Once that whole plot was complete, I then outlined all the other pairings between favorite characters. In the following paragraphs, I will do my best to explain all those pairings (which turn into marriages) and the resulting children.

Jessie and James get married, and Cassidy and Butch get married. At this point, neither couple has children; I just thought it would be important to highlight the events of their marriages.

I will start with Brock, for his family is quite large, and he did get married first. He married Suzie, the blue-haired breeder who gave him his Vulpix. They had a boatload of kids. **Mary** is the oldest, loves grass-types, and is following in her parents' footsteps to become a great breeder. **Keith** is next, and he simply wants to travel; he is considering becoming a Pokemon professor like his hero, Professor Oak. Next there are triplets, named **Jason**,** Joseph**,and **Jeremy**. Younger even than them is little **Emma**. The younger four are not yet old enough to go on a journey, so they are rarely mentioned; there may be an off-shoot later-on featuring their age-group. They live in Pewter City where Brock and Suzie run a breeding salon and where Brock is still the gym leader.

Tracey, from the Orange Islands, married Misty's friend Sakura from Ecruteak City. They reside in Pallet Town and have one son named **Joel**, who wants to be the best trainer he can be. He is taking up the gym challenge, though not with as much gusto as other starting trainers.

The next three paragraphs focus on Misty's three sisters and their families. In this fanfiction story, Violet is the oldest, and then Daisy, then Lily, followed by Misty.

Violet married Ash's rival Gary. Spawn of Gary are three sons and one daughter. Incidentally, the older two are twins. **Bruce** and **Clark** are the eldest, and **Ralph** and **Rose** are their younger siblings. Bruce and Clark are very minor characters; their location is always unknown for they sporadically journey here or there to study various Pokemon in the hopes of becoming legendary professors like their great-grandpa, Professor Oak. Ralph is a braggart of a trainer, but wins battles with flying colors. Rose rarely makes an appearance, but travels around the Pokemon world, hoping to become the best water Pokemon trainer. She hopes to run the Cerulean Gym someday. This family lives in Cerulean City.

Daisy married Rudy, the owner of the gym on Trovita Island in the Orange Islands. They have two daughters, **Pansy** and **Petunia**. The girls do not travel around (yet), but attend gym leader school and help their parents run Trovita Island Gym.

Lily married Dorian of the Coastline Gym in Johto. Their two daughters are **Marigold** and **Buttercup**, who attend gym leader school with Pansy and Petunia and they, too, live at a family-run gym; part of gym leader school does involve traveling, so they will be out and about at some point.

May married Drew, and they had one daughter, **Tiffany**, who travels around as a coordinator. This family hails from Petalburg City.

As I said earlier, Ash married Misty. They had twin daughters, **Audrey** and **Bethany**, who have grown up in Pallet Town. Audrey wants to be a Pokemon Master, whereas Bethany is following the old tradition of aspiring to be the best water Pokemon trainer, hoping, like her cousin Rose, to be the Cerulean City gym leader someday. Audrey and Bethany are the main characters in this story.

May's brother Max eventually marries Kurt's granddaughter Mazie; as you recall, Kurt is the man from Azalea Town who makes special Pokeballs out of Apricorns. This couple has two children, **Alan **and **Ellen**, who are not even remotely in this fanfiction story. This family does, in fact, live in Azalea Town in the Johto Region.

Ash's old rival and friend Richie marries Kacey, and they live in Mahogany town. They had four daughters; the elder three are closer in age (**Fera**, **Skye**, and **Candy**) and **Chelsea** is younger. Again, this family is really not significant to this story, but off-shoots in the future are a definite possibility.

Main characters are going to be Audrey, Bethany, Joel, and Keith, though other original characters will be introduced. Other characters mentioned here who will make somewhat regular appearances are Mary, Ralph, Rose, and Tiffany.


	2. The Saga Begins

**Welcome to _The Next Generation: Kanto_! I am truly glad that you have opted to read this story. If you feel you need more of an introduction, please read the "Prologue." Finally, read this, review it if you are compelled to do so, and most of all, ENJOY.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or the original characters.**

**Chapter 1: The Saga Begins**

Ash and Misty (Waterflower) Ketchum lived in a fair-sized house in humble Pallet Town. They only had half a second story, which consisted of a hallway and their daughters' bedroom. On the first story was the kitchen/dining room, master bedroom, Ash's study, the living room/den, and a small sunroom that opened to a wooden patio with deck chairs and a small table, and at the bottom of the patio steps was a large, green yard with a jungle gym of sorts. It is in this humble abode that our heroines, Audrey and Bethany, make their beginning.

Misty crept into the twins' bedroom and pulled the lavender curtains open, then the blinds to let in the bright morning sunlight. She gently woke each of her daughters. "Time to get up, girls," she whispered tenderly. "Today you start your Pokemon journey, and you don't want to be late...like your father," she added, barely audible.

Audrey, the elder by two minutes, stirred under her blue covers. She was a tomboy, and quite the opposite of her sister and best friend, Bethany. Bethany was quite girly, and rarely went a day without the color pink in her garb. The twins got along as most sisters do—that is to say, they argued frequently, but confided in each other for just about everything.

Misty stayed in the room until she was sure they would get up and going, and before they climbed out of their beds, she deposited a brown paper package on the foot of each bed. She had special-ordered them each a new outfit for traveling, and the packages had arrived two days earlier. Ash was still getting up himself, and would present his gifts after breakfast. Misty left the room and hurried back downstairs to make sure Charizard and Heracross did not burn the much-needed meal. All was sound, though.

Audrey awoke with a yawn, and felt her mother plop something on her bed. A few minutes later, she was up and unwrapping the lumpy package on her bed. Beth still snoozed slightly, groaning in her grogginess here and there. But she jolted completely awake at the shriek of joy that Audrey gave at the contents of her package.

"Beth, wake up, you lazy-bum," whispered Audrey excitedly.

"Why?" yawned Beth, sitting up now.

"Mom got us new clothes for traveling!" explained Audrey irritably to her sleepy sister.

"Hmm?"

Audrey jumped off her bed, walked across the room to where Beth still rubbed her eyes, and handed her sister the package. Beth unwrapped it, and finally became fully awake at the sight of the contents.

Beth's outfit consisted of lime green biker shorts with a bright pink mini skirt over it, complemented by a white sleeveless sports jacket that was decorated with a bright pink collar and Pokeball symbol on the right chest. Her biker's gloves were lime green with white around the wrist, and her athletic shoes were the same colors. She also received a white and pink baseball hat with a lime green half-Pokeball symbol on the front.

Audrey's contained light blue waterproof traveling pants (with electric blue complements), a black tank top, and a fitted, short sleeved, Skiploom-green sports jacket with a golden yellow Pokeball symbol on the right chest that was outlined in black. Her biker's gloves were light blue with an electric blue border around the wrist, and she also received a red bandana with a golden yellow Pokeball symbol (outlined in black) on it. Her athletic shoes were black, light blue, and green with some red complements on them.

The twins dressed quickly in their new comfortable traveling clothes, and combed their hair (which was the same color as a Vileplume's flower); the ends flipped out, giving their faces a friendly, open look. Emerald green eyes sparkled with excitement and determination as they set out things to take on the journey once it was time to leave.

The wonderful fragrance of breakfast floated up the stairs, and the twins wondered which Pokemon their mother had put to work today. Neither Misty nor Ash could cook very well, despite the fact that Ash worked a hot dog stand. So the twins always assumed that Pikachu did the cooking there!

Audrey and Bethany raced downstairs, eager to consume their breakfast and get to Professor Oak's lab after meeting their best friend, Joel.

"Good morning!" Misty greeted as her stylish daughters entered the kitchen, jabbering away to each other. She helped Heracross and Charizard get the aromatic breakfast on the wooden table. Ash slumped in soon after; he had stayed up late getting everything ready for today.

"Hiya, Dad!" greeted Audrey. He grunted in his usual fatherly way, but perked up when he saw the yummy food that also greeted him.

Breakfast was finished by everyone pretty quickly, and then Ash had some presents to give to the girls before they went to the lab. "First, you each get a backpack." Ash handed Audrey a bright, electric blue one with a red strap that was more like a knapsack; similar to the old red one Misty used to carry around. And to Beth he gave a bright pink and white one that was more like a fanny-pack (think of what May wore when she was first on the show).

"Next," he continued, "Pokegear—in watch style—for you, Audrey; Beth, you get a Pokenav. Okay Audrey, you said you wanted a Pokeball belt, like what I used to have, so here." Ash handed her a black leather belt with special tiny clips for Pokeballs. "And Beth, you said you just wanted to use your pack. Well, on the waistband of your bag, there are some clips to use; so that should work. Also, Audrey, here's a badge case for your upcoming victories." Ash smiled at his daughter, and Audrey accepted the electric blue case gladly.

"Now I have some more things for you," added Misty when Ash finished. "You each get three thousand dollars to start with, so don't waste it all right away. I believe the rule is still in place that after a battle, the winner gets half of the loser's money. So don't lose.

"And here are five empty Pokeballs each, complete with those new chips, since you're going to get your starter-Pokemon momentarily. And I have a map-guide book of Kanto for each of you in case the Pokenav is out of range. And you each get a Potion," she finished.

"Wow, this is so cool," commented Beth.

"Definitely," added Audrey.

"So stop home before you leave to get your lunches and say goodbye," said Misty, a hint of worry lacing her sweet voice. The twins said yes, they would be back home, and tore out the front door and down the street.

The twins raced to Professor Oak's lab, and as they shoved into each other in their craving for victory, they heard their best friend Joel shouting behind them. They reluctantly slowed to a stop so he could catch up.

"Hey Joel," greeted Audrey, panting.

"Hey you guys," he panted back.

"Want to race to the lab?" asked Beth, breathing deeply.

"No; too early," he answered.

"Yeah..." agreed Audrey, catching her breath.

They stood in the morning quiet for a moment as their hearts slowed down, and then wordlessly began walking toward the lab, which was just around the corner now and up the hill.

"Nice clothes," Beth said to Joel, starting a conversation as they reached the doors of the lab. Joel's hair looked just like his dad's, red headband and all. He wore a bright red hooded T-shirt that had attached white long sleeves and an orange and white pouch with khaki shorts, and red and white athletic shoes.

"Thanks," he said, looking down at his new attire. "You guys too; you look so totally awesome," he said with a fake lisp, imitating how a preppie girl might exclaim. The three waited after that; they only hung out every day, and therefore had nothing new and interesting to share.

Then, a boy they did not recognize strode up the hill by himself. He looked no different than any other new trainer might. This boy had on dark red waterproof pants and a white, long sleeved T-shirt with a black collared vest over, and black and dark red biker's gloves with, of course, matching athletic shoes. His eyes shone a deep shade of forest green, and his hair was a nice chocolate brown color—shaggy, with a backwards baseball cap atop of black and red with a white Pokeball symbol on it. He paused for the briefest second to look at the other three, and walked past them to a patch of shade to wait.

It was nearing 8:00—when the doors were to open—when Keith, the threesome's childhood friend from Pewter City, strode energetically up the hill. He had open black eyes, and blue hair like his mother Suzie, but it was spiked up like his father, Brock's hair. Keith wore navy blue waterproof pants with a golden yellow T-shirt and a dark, burnt orange pocketed vest over. His athletic shoes were orange and yellow to complete the outfit.

"Well didn't we all just have a pleasant shopping spree?" joked Keith as he shook Joel's hand, proceeding to hug each of the twins in a friendly manner. A trainer's outfit made the first impression, so it was important to dress for success!

The four old friends conversed for a while, and then a shy-looking girl came up the hill, too. She had dark purple hair in a single braid with a light lavender ski cap on top. She wore turquoise denim shorts and a white ¾-sleeve shirt that revealed a good portion of her midriff, and a translucent lavender vest just as small, with lavender and turquoise tennis shoes; and slung around her neck was a nice-looking camera, which her large brown eyes scanned over habitually. She, too, was a stranger, even to the other unfamiliar boy. She stood by herself on the grass, examining her camera.

"Wow, there's _six_ of us," said Audrey quietly to her three friends.

"That's a lot," commented Joel. "I hope there's enough Pokemon."

"Well, you do have to call ahead before just showing up to claim a Pokemon," explained Beth. "So I'm sure the Professor is prepared."

"I sure hope so," remarked Keith doubtfully.

Just then, Audrey's Pokegear beeped, signaling that it was 8:00. "Any second now," she stated excitedly.

The handle of the Lab's door turned slowly from the inside...

**To be continued...**


	3. Christmas in August

**Chapter 2: Christmas in August**

Ms. Aspen, Professor Oak's intern, opened the door to the six new trainers. They filed inside, too excited to talk. She led them over to a metal table on which eight shiny Pokeballs nestled in a padded box. Each Pokeball had a symbol on it right above the open-button: two had a little green leaf, two had a blue teardrop, two had an orange-red flame, one had a white star, and one had a yellow lightning bolt.

Professor Oak and Tracey Sketchit, Joel's dad, entered the room as the trainers gathered around the table to gaze in wonder at the Pokeballs. The Professor carried a metallic briefcase, and Tracey had a clipboard and several large yellow envelopes.

"Good morning, children," greeted Professor Oak. "I am Professor Oak, leading Pokemon researcher for sixty years. Today I will bestow on each of you your first Pokemon ever. Now let's see that clipboard Tracey...ah, thank you." (Tracey handed Oak the clipboard, who began to read from it.) "Alright; it looks like you're all here. Now I'll let you pick your Pokemon in the order that you called in to register. First I must explain the Pokemon from which you may choose.

"We have one of each of the starter Pokemon native to the Kanto region: Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, in additon to the native Johto region starters: Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile. I know that many of you are off to Johto next training season, but I just could not find two of each of the Kanto starters. However, since there are six of you, and I actually have another young man coming in later this afternoon, I also caught an Eevee and a Pikachu, so that you have some variety.

"Now, Joel, you may pick first," said the Professor, looking up at him. Joel picked Totodile, after only a small hesitation. Next was Audrey, who picked Pikachu, followed by Beth, who wanted Squirtle. The unfamiliar boy was next, whose name was Roger, and he picked Charmander. Then was Keith, who picked Cyndaquil with a large grin, and last was the other girl, named Alexis. She thought for a while, as if weighing the leftover options, and decided on Bulbasaur.

Ms. Aspen proceeded with the goings-on. "Now you each need a Trainer ID Card. I've had them made already, and Mr. Sketchit has them in one of the envelopes for you. Tracey," she prompted. He fingered through his envelopes, and pulled one to the top. He reached inside and handed each new trainer a thick, laminated card.

She continued, "These cards serve as Contest Cards for entering in Pokemon Contests, and are required for an official Gym Battle. Results are automatically recorded. Furthermore, you can go online and open an account that will serve as a type of bank account. I would talk to your parents about that, though, so they can help you figure it out.

"And on your Pokedexes, which you will receive in a moment, there is a card slide. Swipe your cards on that slide and the card will keep and update of your Pokedex. At Pokemon Centers, there isn't a slot for your Pokedex by the phones anymore, so you have to insert your card if you want a rating from Professor Oak or me. And now you'll receive your Pokedexes."

Professor Oak picked up where Ms. Aspen left off. "I have in this case seven identical, fully updated, brand new, state-of-the-art Pokedexes." He lifted his metallic briefcase to the table on which the Pokeballs were set up and unfastened the cover. "And I've even designed these devices in assorted colors since today's world is all about 'personality in technology.' There's a purple, pink, blue, green, yellow, orange, and of course the standard red to choose from." He lifted the lid to reveal seven Pokedexes nestled in Styrofoam, shining the colors of the rainbow. "You may pick these in the same order that you picked your Pokemon."

Joel picked the bright orange one, followed by Audrey, who of course went for her favorite color, electric blue. Beth went for bright pink (no surprise), and Roger selected the standard red one. Keith picked the bright yellow Pokedex, and Alexis went for the pastel purple one.

"Ah, then Zachary will receive this nice bright green Pokedex," remarked Professor Oak as he closed the case again and set it on the floor. "Each Pokedex is equipped with the newest technology, including a Gender Determiner and a Level Tracker."

"And," said Tracey, "I have a special pamphlet for each of you about proper care and grooming for your Pokemon, although there is a very nice breeding salon in Pewter City that could provide you with even more tips." He handed each person, out of another envelope, a colorful little brochure.

"Plus," he added, setting the two envelopes he'd already opened on the table and drawing up the other seven, "you each get five Pokeball chips pre-programmed with your Trainer ID Numbers—so that you can insert them into your Pokeballs for easy Pokemon registration." Tracey opened six envelopes progressively, each containing a baggie of little silver discs for insertion into the special slots on Pokeballs.

"Also," he went on, smiling, "I have a Gold Berry for each of you so that you can have your Pokemon hold it for self-healing purposes. Or it makes a great afternoon snack." Out of the same envelopes that the chips had come from, he withdrew a rather large berry for each person, indeed gold-colored. "Enjoy!"

"Now you're all ready by our standards to go out on your quests. You are all rivals, in a way, but that doesn't mean you can't all be friends, too. So stay safe, have fun, and be very kind to your Pokemon, because now you're an inseparable, lifelong team," spoke Ms. Aspen. "Go out there and catch 'em all!"

Tracey led the way to the door and opened it for the new trainers, who were all quite speechless. He shut the door behind them, after murmuring to Joel to wait for him at home to say goodbye.

Audrey, Bethany, Joel, and Keith gathered briefly in the shade before parting.

"So do you guys wanna meet back here before we go? We should, and might as well, all go together," said Audrey.

"Actually," started Joel, "I was going to see how I can fare by myself. But we'll undoubtedly meet in Viridian."

"Same here," agreed Keith. "I'm going by myself, and I think that would be the best way for me to concentrate on my personal training."

"Oh..." Beth trailed off. Both she and Audrey had been looking forward to a big traveling party. But it looked like it would just be the two of them. Besides, Roger and Alexis had both gone off to wherever they were staying already.

"Well, see you guys tonight sometime, or this afternoon, I guess," said Keith. "I've gotta stop by my family's guest apartment down by the beach to say bye, then I'm off. I'd like to arrive by suppertime." But before Keith had taken three steps down the hill, Professor Oak opened the door and looked around. He stepped outside, holding the other leaf-Pokeball: Chikorita.

"Keith, wait!" called the old Professor.

"Yeah?" Keith turned around and walked the short distance back to the door.

"The other trainer just called, and I asked him if he wanted Eevee or Chikorita. He said he'd prefer Eevee, and then I remembered your sister Mary had called a few days ago. She wondered if she could have Chikorita if it was the leftover Pokemon, as she can't seem to catch one herself. And since it'll be lonely here without any of the other young Pokemon to play with, I would appreciate it if you would give this to her before setting out." He handed over the Pokeball.

"Sure," replied Keith, smiling. He knew how much his sister wanted a Chikorita.

"Oh, thank you, Keith," said Oak, smiling back and going back inside.

"Well, got to go; my sister's leaving any minute to meet her friends!" Keith exclaimed, dashing off.

"Yeah, I should go too," murmured Joel. He made off.

"Looks like it's just the two of us," affirmed Beth. She and Audrey went home, somewhat upset.

They told their happy parents everything from the previous hour, from Pokemon choices to the other trainers, and from their new presents to their disappointment at traveling with only each other.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I forgot something this morning," consoled Misty. The twins' eyes lit up. "I have a travel-size cook book for each of you that Brock gave me. It features all his recipes, useful for at a house or out camping. And I also forgot to give you two your sleeping bags; you'll need them."

"We've already set up a bank account through your ID Cards; we called Professor Oak in advance. And—" Ash was cut off.

"Dad, Mom, you worry too much!" exclaimed Audrey. "We'll be fine."

"I was just going to say to not blow up anyone's bike..." Ash finished.

"Stay safe, be careful, be nice, be swift, and have _loads_ of fun. Your Grandma Ketchum will probably tell you this later, but I should say it too: change your underwear every day—"

"Mom!" groaned Beth, slapping her forehead.

"Keep proper hygiene, don't get lost, sleep in a tent whenever possible, and watch out for stupid boys," Misty continued anyway, shooting a playful look at Ash.

Ash cleared his throat before speaking. "And call us whenever you get to a city or get lost. We trust you."

The small family embraced, and Pikachu ran out from the living room to join in the family hug. Misty sniffled back her tears (for now), and Ash actually did shed a few teardrops. His little girls had grown up so fast. He stopped crying when he pictured his daughters getting married to boys like..._Gary_.

"Go get 'em," he encouraged his daughters.

"We love you," breathed Misty, a tiny trickle of tears rolling down her rosy cheeks despite all efforts to withhold them. She gave the girls their lunches.

"Talk to you tonight," Audrey reassured them.

"Love you too!" called Beth as the two made their way down the road to the north end of town to Route 1. The girls jogged off to begin their much-anticipated quest.

**To be continued...**


	4. Route 1

**Chapter 3: Route 1**

After two hours (it was now around noon), Audrey and Beth decided to stop in some shade for a lunch break. They had been trudging uphill all morning, hadn't met anyone, and of course it was a hot, humid day. Some dark clouds roiled ominously in the south, off the sea. Thin forest lay ahead of them, hopefully, thought Audrey, with some Pokemon; they hadn't seen any all day.

The twins called out their Pokemon, and fed them the Pokemon food Misty had sent along for them. They munched on their own lunches, and wondered aloud who this Alexis and Roger were, and who the other trainer could be. They also talked about what Joel and Keith might be up to.

"I'm going to check my Pikachu's gender," Audrey stated suddenly.

"Good idea," agreed Beth, pulling out her Pokedex. Pikachu was a girl but Squirtle was a boy. "Are you going to nickname yours?" Beth asked her sister.

"Well, sure. Pikachu is a cute name, but since Dad already has one, it could get confusing. You know Dad's friend Richie? Well, his Pikachu is named Sparky, so that's out. I think Lightning is a pretty cool name because it's an electric type and uses explosive attacks like that," Audrey explained logically. "Are you going to give a nickname to Squirtle?" she asked.

"Nah," Beth replied. "Squirtle is such a cute name already."

They ate the rest of their lunch, and packed up their compact picnic blanket which their Grandma Ketchum had made them. It fit nicely in a tiny pouch in Beth's fanny-pack.

Just then, a _horrible_ creaking met their ears, and they looked toward the worn path where they would be traveling in just a minute.

"Hey, that's Roger!" whispered Audrey. He was creaking along on a red, rusty old bike. "HEY!!!" she shouted at him, waving her arm.

Roger heard her loud and clear, and his head spun around frantically. When he saw who had called him, he somehow lost complete concentration on his biking, and flipped off with a 'thump.'

"Uh-oh," said Audrey to Beth. They ran over to see if he was okay. "Are you alright?" Audrey asked him, helping him up.

He groaned. "I'm fine; but my bike's not," he said shortly; shyly.

"Heh-heh, sorry," Audrey apologized, her sweat-dropping. "Um...you want to travel with us?" she asked him boldly.

He checked his Pokegear, which was on his wrist. "I...have to get going. I have someone to meet in Viridian." He fumbled with the chain on his old, rickety bike.

"Well, let us introduce ourselves first," declared Beth. "I'm Bethany Ketchum, and this is my older—only by two minutes—sister Audrey Ketchum."

"I'm Roger," he mumbled, not meeting their eyes. Then a thought struck him as suddenly as a lightning bolt. "Did you say _Ketchup_?" he asked, squinting up at them. His thick eyebrows furrowed together and his sun-tanned nose wrinkled.

"No, Ketch_um_," Audrey corrected him.

"Ketchum?" he asked again, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Audrey sighed, "might as well be out with it: our dad is a Pokemon Master and our mom is the Gym Leader in Cerulean City."

"Ash and Misty are your _parents_?!?" he exclaimed, finally showing some emotion. His bike chain clicked into place.

"Yeah," Audrey shook it off. It seemed she and Beth got that a lot.

"Well," he started, immediately reverting back to his introverted self, "I have to go. Maybe I'll see you later," he mumbled at the end. Roger rattled off on his awful bike.

"Strange fellow," commented Audrey.

"_Fellow_?" asked a bemused Beth.

"I'm trying to expand my vocabulary," retorted Audrey. They stood in silence for a minute while their Pokemon began wandering around. "C'mon; we've still got a ways to go...uphill."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Beth, rolling her eyes. She recalled Squirtle with ease, but Lightning kept dodging the red beam from its Pokeball.

"Just like Dad's," Audrey commented, giving up. Lightning zapped her with a Thundershock attack. "Hey!" she shrieked. It ran ahead on the path, and Audrey and Beth could do nothing else but race after it.

* * *

The afternoon progressed slowly, and the clouds grew nearer. The twins tramped through the thin trees, enjoying the peaceful, shady environment. Lightning had finally settled down and sat on Audrey's head tiredly. Still no Pokemon had come into sight. And no other familiar faces had passed them by.

The twins emerged into a large clearing a mile or so in diameter, dotted with wild Berry bushes. Now they saw some little Pokemon darting about from bush to bush, munching on Berries. Among them were Rattata, Sentret, and Pidgey. A Sentret cautiously approached the bush nearest the girls.

"I want it," breathed Audrey excitedly. She pulled out a Pokeball, and her Pokedex, which she used to find that the Sentret was at Level Three. "Lightning, I choose you!" she called quickly. "Use Thundershock!"

Her Pikachu executed the Move perfectly, and Sentret fell over, injured and surprised. It ate the Berry that it had been holding, and recovered directly.

"Gah..." grunted Audrey. "Again, Lightning!" she ordered, unfazed. And again, Lightning pulled it off easily, but this time, there was no healing for the wild Pokemon. "Go, Pokeball!" she called, hurling her Pokeball toward the Sentret.

The Pokeball wiggled and wriggled, but finally chimed, signaling that Sentret was caught. After a little victory cry, Audrey and Beth went from bush to bush, picking some Berries for later. You never knew when your Pokemon might need one...

* * *

Ash's Pikachu was tempted to dawdle among the Berry Bushes, but Audrey and Beth were moving again. Its sweat-dropped; they were just like Ash: always on the move. It was so tired, and quite upset that it had to follow at a distance instead of riding on their shoulders or heads like that young Pikachu. Pikachu sighed and moved on, but did grab a few Berries while crossing the field, pondering why Ash had bid it follow the twins; they were doing fine.

* * *

Back in Pallet Town, Misty was working up a sweat cleaning the house; they were having Brock and Suzie and their younger children over, Tracey and Sakura Sketchit, and Ash's mother, Delia. They would all be having supper and then awaiting the call from the twins to say they'd arrived safely in Viridian.

She should've taken up her mother-in-law on the offer to borrow Mr. Mime for the day...he was quite an efficient cleaner. At least Ash would be home from the hot dog stand in a minute; _then I can put him to work_, Misty thought sardonically.

Misty wondered where on earth Pikachu was; it usually came home in time for lunch, but today it must've decided to stay with Ash...she shrugged it off and continued cleaning.

* * *

Audrey and Bethany sauntered on and on through another patch of thin trees; they suddenly emerged onto an open plane stretching for what seemed like miles. The dark clouds finally hovered over them, and it began to drizzle. Before them, they saw Viridian City, only a couple more miles up the gentlest slope they had traversed all day. It was late afternoon, and the humidity was oppressive.

"Yay!" cried Beth.

"Finally!" added Audrey, punching the air.

But then a heart-stopping sight met their eyes. A figure was crouched low to the ground about halfway to the city next to an old red bike, clutching something aflame in his arms: probably a fire Pokemon of some sort. A wild flock of Spearow dive-bombed him again and again; they seemed a ruthless army. Audrey and Beth exchanged looks. "Roger!" they concluded in unison, running toward him.

As they neared, the Spearow began attacking them too. And it began thundering and lightning. They had their two starters attack, but that was a pretty bad idea. Both Pikachu and Squirtle were too weak to take on the vicious Spearow, and were tired and injured quickly. The supply of Berries from earlier in the day was nearly exhausted! However, Beth did manage to catch one of the smaller birds at the rear of the flock that had taken a considerable amount of damage. But that did not help ebb the tide of attacks at all. The constant, relentless attacks made the twins' progress too slow; the flame by Roger was steadily growing smaller.

"Roger!" Audrey called when they were finally within feet of him. He looked up desperately. They reached him after another feathery attack. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"No!" he shouted over the pounding rain. "My Charmander is nearly fainted and now it's raining. I don't want its tail flame to be extinguished! And these Spearow won't let me move," he explained.

Suddenly, a little yellow Pokemon came sprinting toward them, sending out jolts of electricity to stave off the Spearow that dove at it. "It's Dad's Pikachu!" exclaimed Beth. "It must've followed us..."

* * *

Ash wiped the kitchen windows sulkily, upset that he had angered Misty. He just wanted his daughters to be safe on their journey, so he had sent Pikachu, knowing it was quite capable of such a task. He just hoped his buddy had caught up to them alright.

Ash couldn't wait for the phone call that evening, so that he could see that his girls were safe and so was Pikachu. But then he would undoubtedly suffer more of Misty's wrath; she would inevitably make him fly to Viridian on Charizard first thing in the morning to retrieve his Pokemon.

But Ash, dense as he was, thought Misty might be truly glad inside that he had thought to send protection for the girls. He was baffled that she didn't praise any part of his little plan, and scrubbed the glass all the more moodily.

Misty watched Ash wash the windows from the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed and a frown on her face. She knew he had only sent Pikachu after the twins because he loved his daughters and wanted to ensure their safety, but he did not have to do that. Too often, Ash forgot that his own mother had let him go off on his first Pokemon journey with no more than a stubborn Pikachu and the words "Don't forget to change your underwear…every single day."

* * *

"Pikachu!" shrieked Audrey, full of relief and joy. She threw her arms open for it. Pikachu jumped headlong into Audrey's outstretched arms, and nuzzled its head against her wet chest, pausing briefly to sniff her new Pokemon. "I have an idea," said Audrey hurriedly, petting Pikachu. "I'll use your bike, Roger, and ride ahead to Viridian for help; you guys just sit tight!" She didn't wait for their responses, rather, jumped on Roger's rickety bike with two Pikachu clinging to her shoulders, and began to kick off.

"Audrey!" shouted Beth over the intense rain. Audrey looked over her shoulder and saw the Spearow coming in again.

"Pikachu...use..." she tried to remember its attacks. "Use..." but she was cut off by both Pikachu attacking at will. Ash's unleashed a powerful Thunder attack, complemented by a helpful, tiny charge from Lightning, which electrocuted the Spearow, Audrey, and the bike upon which she sat.

She had never before been shocked with such power. Growing up with Pikachu, she and Beth had gotten playful shocks all the time, but nothing even compared to this. Audrey crumpled off the bike during the shock with a cry of pain, clutching the two yellow Pokemon tightly. Her hair stuck out in all directions beneath her bandana, completely frizzled. At least the Spearow were finally taken care of. Those that had escaped the powerful electrocution flew away frantically, but many lay paralyzed and in a faint on the ground.

Finally able to move, Audrey jumped up, still clutching her sparking Pokemon, grabbed Beth's wrist, and made-off for Viridian City at a run. "C'mon, Roger," she called to him forcefully, dashing off into the storm. She had completely forgotten about the bike.

The twins sprinted faster than ever through the rain, cringing at the crashes of thunder and vivid streaks of lightning. They had thought Roger was right behind them. Finally, Audrey and Bethany reached the paved street of the city and paused, spotting the Pokemon Center down the road. They ran again and didn't stop until they were safely inside the glass sliding doors. Drenched and completely exhausted, the girls collapsed to their knees to breathe a little. There was no panting from Roger; at least someone was in shape…

"Roger?" Audrey asked suddenly, turning her head around. He was nowhere. "Beth, I think we lost Roger..."

"Huh?" she asked, also turning around. "Uh-oh..." They stared at each other for a moment, until Nurse Grace marched up to them.

"Hello, and welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center! You trainers must have been through quite an ordeal to be out of breath and soaking wet like that. Please come in and sit down!" The friendly nurse helped the twins to their feet and led them over to the red couches in the lobby. A Chansey immediately came by with a tray of steaming hot chocolate.

"Thank you," said Beth in response.

"You're welcome! This is no weather to be outside in," replied Nurse Grace with a frown. "Are you going to need a room tonight?"

"Yes, please," answered Beth. "Probably for two nights, actually," she added. Nurse Grace resumed her position behind the front desk, clicking away on her computer. "What about Roger?" Beth whispered to Audrey worriedly.

"Well, he'll catch up," Audrey reassured her sister with a slight smile. She drained her mug of hot chocolate before proceeding up to the front desk. "Nurse Grace, could you please heal our Pokemon?" she asked shyly.

"Certainly," the happy nurse replied. "I'll just use this machine," she indicated a large white thing, "and then your Pokemon will just need a nice long rest."

The girls simply handed their five Pokemon over the counter, except that Sentret and Spearow were in their Pokeballs. Ten seconds later, Nurse Grace handed the Pokemon back. She also said, "Here are your room keys; I got you all checked in for two nights. Your room is down the left hall, and it's the fourth door on the right. I should also invite you to eat in the cafeteria here tonight. I wouldn't want you to have to go back out in the rain to find a restaurant!" The twins accepted the keys and went off to their room.

Once there, they deposited everything except their money and Pokemon, and sauntered back down the hall to the cafeteria. It was around six 'o clock; Audrey's stomach made a huge rumbling sound, and she felt the emptiness after the exciting afternoon.

The twins settled on a small platter of bite-size burgers and a basket of French Fries for themselves and some gourmet Pokemon food for their combined team of five. Their hearty meal was finished in a matter of minutes, and then they stretched and went to the lobby to chat and call home.

The twins had just started wondering aloud where Joel and Keith and that Alexis-person might be, when the glass doors slid open, and in stepped a soaking, breathless Roger, carrying a charred mass on his shoulders and looking crazily angry. He noticed Audrey and Beth immediately, and pointed a shaking finger straight at Audrey.

Audrey gulped loudly. "Hey Roger," she greeted in a small voice. "What's that thing you've got there?" An uneasy feeling overtook her for she thought she knew what it was.

"You..." he snarled. "Do you see what you _did_, Audrey Ketchum?!? That _thing_ is my bike; YOU RUINED IT; BLEW IT UP!!!" he shouted. Beth inched away, trying to stifle giggles. "That was the only bike I've ever had, and now it's disintegrated," he continued, growing madder.

"But—" Audrey started. She was cut off.

"Audrey, I vow to follow you _wherever_ you go, until you repay me for my bike!" he screamed loudly. During the silence that followed his outburst, he thought sardonically: _I don't think I've ever raised my voice that loudly before..._

Then he stalked off to the front desk and placed two Pokeballs on the counter, requesting quietly that they be healed. Nurse Grace, initially stunned into silence at the newcomer's outburst, of course healed them. Roger checked out a room, and strode down the brightly lit hallway to be alone for a bit.

Audrey sat on her chair, paralyzed with shock. The two Pikachu still sat on her lap, looking anxiously at her, and Beth had moved to a small sofa away from her sister, laughing uncontrollably. Roger's voice resounded uncomfortably in her head:

_Audrey, I vow to follow you _wherever_ you go, until you repay me for my bike!_

**To be continued...**


	5. Audrey's Applaudable Audacity

**Chapter 4: Audrey's Applaudable Audacity**

Ash and Misty _acted_ quite happy when their guests arrived in the afternoon. Delia Ketchum had arrived first, bringing with her Mr. Mime and two cheesecakes made fresh earlier that day. Mr. Mime and Mrs. Ketchum (the Elder) whipped up a superb meal which was almost ready when Brock and Suzie's family got there. Tracey and Sakura arrived soon after them.

The meal went splendidly, and no one but Brock suspected anything was up between the host and hostess; he knew them too well. Finally, just when Delia and Mimey were slicing the dessert at around 7:30 p.m., the phone rang loudly.

* * *

Audrey and Beth waited excitedly for someone to answer their home video phone. They both squished their faces into the small area where their end of the video recorded, along with their dad's Pikachu. Lightning perched on Audrey's bandana, cooing excitedly.

Finally someone answered. It was their Grandma Ketchum! "Hi girls!" she greeted, smiling. "Your parents said since I'm the oldest one here I get to say hello first! I take it you got to Viridian City safely?"

"Well, yeah, for the most part," answered Audrey.

"What happened?" Delia asked, immediately detecting that something was nagging Audrey's mind.

"Well, Audrey blew up this boy's bike, and now he's promised to follow her everywhere until she gets him a new one," Beth explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh, dear, just like my Ash. But you know, that's how he met your mother," Delia said excitedly. "By the way, you girls better change your underwear every single day!"

"Grandma!" shrieked Audrey, rather shocked. "And don't even go there with the whole future spouse thing…totally not going to happen."

Delia's sweat-dropped. "Well anyway…Audrey, is that your Pikachu? It seems to really like you."

"Um...actually, it's Dad's," stated Beth for her sister. "It followed us out here, I guess. Audrey's is sitting in on her head! Is our dad there?"

Ash suddenly appeared next to his mother. "Hey Audrey; Beth. I see you've got Pikachu," he added wryly after greeting them.

"Yeah..." said Audrey. "You didn't, um, send it after us, did you Dad?" She smiled brightly at him, already sensing his guilt.

"Well, the thing is—" Ash started. He was cut off by Misty, whose face suddenly squished in between Delia's and Ash's. She looked rather aggravated.

"Yes, girls, your father, thinking to protect you, sent Pikachu after you. I had assured him this morning that you would be absolutely fine—as we can clearly see—but he sent Pikachu anyway. He'll be there in the afternoon tomorrow to pick it up again. Right, Ash?" Misty asked at the end, smiling at her husband with eyes narrowed and feigned sweetness in her voice.

"R-r-right," Ash stuttered nervously; he was cringing, and for good reason.

Audrey, Beth, and Pikachu's sweat-dropped.

Not wanting Ash to get in more trouble than he already was, Audrey added hastily, "Well, Pikachu did help us get here because there was this huge flock of Spearow that were attacking us, but it shocked them all silly."

"Oh, my!" said Misty, her hand covering her mouth in slight shock. "But you're okay, right? How was the rest of the trip there?"

"Oh, it was fine…couldn't have been better," Audrey said quickly. She hoped Beth would stay quiet. Her hopes were in vain.

"You liar. You blew up that Roger-guy's bike!" Beth accused sharply of her sister. Ash and Misty exchanged glances, and their sweat-dropped. She turned to explain to her parents. "Well, we were getting attacked by Spearow, and so was that Roger-guy we met this morning, but then Pikachu came. And then Audrey was going to use Roger's bike to ride to Viridian and get help, and the Spearow were coming in for another attack. But then both Pikachu used Thunder attacks—Audrey was holding them while sitting on the bike—so she and said-bike got fried. And Roger just came in a few minutes ago and told Audrey he's going to follow her everywhere until she pays him back! Isn't that cute?" Beth gushed.

Silence met Beth's explanation. Ash and Misty just kind of gaped at her with their mouths wide open. They truly were speechless. So much for warning them _not_ to blow up anyone's bike.

"Um…" started Audrey. "Guess we'll see you, Dad, tomorrow afternoon! Say 'hi' to everyone else there. We'll call once we're in Pewter City in about a week or so! Love you! Bye!"

"Uh…love you too…"Ash said robotically.

"Love you, girls," said Misty, who had somewhat recovered from Beth's story. "Be careful in Viridian Forest and use lots of Repel to keep bugs away. Bye!"

"Love you," said Beth sweetly, and hung up, just before Audrey smacked her. "OW!" she shrieked. "What was that for?"

"You just had to tell everyone, didn't you?" raged Audrey.

"They would've found out anyway and you know it!" argued Beth.

"Not necessarily. Now Grandma thinks I'm going to end up marrying this guy I barely even know, and Mom is miffed and Dad is baffled!"

"Well you—"

Beth was cut off by the glass doors sliding open again. A familiar voice greeted the twins. "Look who made it to Viridian City!" he exclaimed. Their cousin, Ralph, stood before them, smirking at his two younger cousins. "So, how's your first day of training going so far?" he inquired in a somewhat snobbish voice, similar to his father Gary's voice.

"Well frankly, it could be better," Audrey remarked.

"Well I think it _couldn't_ be better," Beth contradicted cheerfully. She proceeded, of course, to tell Ralph all about how Audrey blew up Roger's bike.

"Hah! Sounds like Uncle Ash," Ralph teased. Suddenly, the doors slid open once again, and three girls—two of them familiar to the twins—entered. Mary, Keith's older sister, was one of them, and Tiffany, the daughter of Ash's friend May from his traveling days, was the other familiar one. "Oh hello, Ladies," greeted Ralph. "These are my young cousins who just left humble Pallet Town this very morning to begin their Pokemon journeys."

"Hey you two! It's been a while," greeted Tiffany. "Audrey and Bethany, right?" She smiled warmly and embraced the twins. They had met a long time ago, and since the families still kept in touch, they were not strangers to one another. Mary also greeted them.

Ralph continued making introductions. "This other trainer is Katherine…" he trailed off, giving a cheeky grin to the unfamiliar girl.

Katherine looked the twins over somewhat condescendingly, but was kind enough to say hello. She seemed quite annoyed with Ralph. "We're sort of rivals," Ralph whispered to his cousins, winking at Katherine.

"Well, nice to meet you," stated Beth, ever the friendly one.

"Let's go eat," grumbled Katherine, who led the way into the cafeteria. Ralph stayed behind a minute. "I really like her, but she treats rivals with mirth," Ralph explained, smiling. "I'm friends with the other two, though. Mary and Tiff respect other trainers."

"That's…interesting," said Audrey, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, I'm going to eat something too. And probably end up bugging Katherine with my very presence. But that is my goal in life," Ralph blathered on, winking at the twins before following the girls into the cafeteria.

Audrey and Bethany exchanged a glance. "What a ladies' man," Beth commented.

The sisters started playing around in the lobby with Lightning, who proved to be quite the energetic, trusting little Pikachu. Their dad's Pikachu shocked it lightly and playfully. Then, they spotted Roger sneak into the cafeteria; they almost missed him.

"Let's follow him," Audrey told Beth.

They gathered the Pikachu and slipped into the café, sitting at a small booth in the back. Roger's back was to them as he went through the line, getting a tray full of food. Much to the twins' surprise, he sat at a table with Ralph, Mary, Tiffany, and Katherine, and seemed to know the latter. The other three at the table got up and left, leaving Roger alone with Katherine.

Roger said something to the girl, looking embarrassed and somewhat angry, causing her to laugh loudly. She drew lots of curious stares their way, and said something to him, before rustling his hair and walking off. He ate his supper in peace, and the twins slipped out as discreetly as they had come in.

They went back to playing around in the lobby, but that got boring, and they decided they'd had enough excitement for one day and ought to go to bed. Just as they were rounding the corner to go to their room, they accidentally—well, Beth was in front—bumped into Alexis, whose head was down, looking at her camera.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Beth apologized immediately. Alexis kind of stared at her for a second, eyeing her with a frown upon her face, then moved on past and exited the Pokemon Center. "Sheesh, what's with her?" Beth asked Audrey, who shrugged and pressed on, Beth now behind her in the narrow hall.

They entered their room, and Pikachu slept snugly next to Beth while Audrey curled up with Lightning; they slept soundly all night.

* * *

The twins woke up around 7:30 the next morning, showered, and ate breakfast groggily in the cafeteria. Pikachu was tired, too, but Lightning was as energetic as ever. Just as the twins were leaving the Pokemon Center to go to the Mart, Joel, followed by Keith, came in to the cafeteria, looking like they'd barely slept a wink.

"Hey," Audrey greeted with a yawn, holding a squirmy Lightning.

"Hey yourself," Joel responded with a sleepy grin. "When did you get here?"

"Around six in the evening," answered Beth, probably the most awake person. Pikachu snoozed lightly on her shoulder.

"How come you both have Pikachu?" Keith changed the subject.

"One is our dad's; he sent it to follow us. When did you get here? We didn't see you last night," stated Audrey.

"Um," Joel thought aloud as he looked at Keith. "Well, we met up around three in the afternoon yesterday—Keith caught up to me—and then we got here about 4:30."

"Yeah," Keith affirmed with a yawn. "What are you guys up to?"

"Well," replied Beth, "We're going to the Mart right now to get some supplies, and then we were going to see the city and train a little." Audrey nodded confirmation.

"We're going to eat breakfast, then do you want to meet back here and we can train together?" Joel asked, waking up a bit more.

"Sure," yawned Audrey. The twins left Joel and Keith to break their fast, and went to the lobby, stopping to ask Nurse Grace if there were any good training spots in the city.

"Well," she replied thoughtfully, "there's a nice pond great for swimming in and fishing just west down the road, and there's a small forested area at the northwest end of town, across the main road from the gym. There's also a training building, but I wouldn't advise it to rookie trainers; lots of tough, advanced trainers battle each other there. Or you could go back toward Route 1; when there's not Spearow there, there's lots of other fun Pokemon around!"

"Thanks," said Beth cheerfully, pulling half-asleep Audrey along to the door.

"Wait up, you two!" a familiar voice called from behind the twins just before they exited the Center. It was Roger, striding quickly toward them.

"What do _you_ want?" Audrey asked him rudely, now awake enough to remember him yelling at her last night.

"I'm following you to make sure you don't just leave me here in your dust. I promised to follow you, remember?" he said sharply in his shy voice.

"Oh, yeah...that," mumbled Audrey moodily. "We're going to the Mart. Do you need anything?" She spoke to him with bitterness.

"Let's go, Miss Snooty-Attitude-y," Beth dictated, leading her sister on; Roger followed, of course, but kept his distance from the volcanic Audrey.

The girls bought some different healing medicines for their Pokemon, and some lightweight cooking supplies, as well as ever-important repellants for the upcoming trek through the Viridian Forest. Roger bought his own things, and gazed rather longingly at the rack of swim trunks; this Mart was an all-in-one, and contained such products.

"Do you have a swimsuit?" asked Audrey, now more curious than angry at their new travel companion. She had simmered in the time it took to find the necessary supplies and purchase them.

"Well, no. I forgot to pack one from home, so I can't go swimming," Roger replied.

"Beth and I have enough money; what size do you need?" Audrey scanned over the swimming trunks.

"No, that's okay. I can buy my own," he said rather defensively.

"Nonsense," remarked Audrey, growing angry again. "What size are you? And when's your birthday? It could be our birthday present to you."

Roger sighed, giving up. He told her his size, and mentioned, barely audibly, that his birthday was in six days. Then he walked away, slightly embarrassed at Audrey's pushiness. He was also rather confused at the abrupt changes in her mood. Audrey told Beth about Roger's date of birth and how they should get him swim trunks, and Beth kind of laughed at her, bemused. She led the way back to the Center to meet the other boys.

The five trainers decided that they should go train around Route 1, hoping against hope that the Spearow were not there today. Luckily, the inclined plain was clear when they arrived.

They moved a ways off the road, their strategy being to go more toward where the Pokemon actually lived. As they neared some dense, tall grass, they saw a lavender cap bobbing up and down in the growth. The five moved toward it.

Audrey, Beth, Roger, Joel, and Keith pushed through the itchy stems of the high-growing grasses and literally fell through to a clearing on top of another trainer: Alexis. It took a while to untangle the pile of young trainers.

"What are you all doing here?" Alexis accused them. Her Bulbasaur rubbed up against her bare legs.

"Training," Audrey answered simply, imitating Alexis' snobby voice.

"Well didn't you see me right here?"

"No," Joel lied quickly.

"Then buzz-off. This spot's taken." Alexis narrowed her brown eyes. Her Bulbasaur called up to her, and she flinched away from it. "What do you want?" she asked it sharply. It talked to her, but of course no one could translate. "I told you to get _away_, Sprout," she told it.

"What?" interjected Audrey.

"I told you to get away, too," Alexis retorted.

"Are you seriously releasing your Bulbasaur? It seems to love you..." commented Audrey.

"No one asked you, thanks. And yes, I'm releasing it. I caught some better Pokemon, and they're tough, not clingy _wimps_ like this one," Alexis spat.

"Then I'm catching it," declared Audrey.

"Suit yourself; when it won't stop nuzzling you, good riddance." And Alexis walked off, leaving her forlorn Bulbasaur alone.

"Wait! Can I just have its Pokeball?" Audrey called after her. Alexis reappeared, scowling.

"Fine; not like I need it anymore," remarked Alexis, handing the leaf Pokeball to Audrey, this time taking off for good. Bulbasaur ran after its original trainer, but Audrey blocked its way.

"Bulbasaur, return," she ordered a little sadly. The Pokemon looked at her quizzically.

"Audrey," Beth spoke up. "I think Alexis nicknamed it. I heard her call it Sprout."

"Well then, that might help!" exclaimed Audrey, smiling widely. "Sprout, I'm your trainer now, I guess. But I won't let you go, no matter what," she told it confidently. Sprout seemed to accept that fact, but seemed somewhat sad. "Sprout, return." Sprout smiled, and didn't try to avoid the beam of red light that enclosed it.

"Well," coughed Keith.

"Some people," remarked Joel. "She's cruel. Way to go, Audrey," he told her proudly.

"Thanks. Bulbasaur _was_ my second choice, and it just hurt to see it treated like that. I had to say something. Poor Sprout; I hope it'll like me..."

"It'll love you," Beth assured her, and they decided they'd had enough of this area.

* * *

As they walked back, the boys getting to know each other better and the twins arguing about what to do next, they all fell silent at the sound of some music playing from behind some tall bushes. It was catchy, but sounded kind of...evil.

Suddenly, two older teenagers jumped out from behind the dense foliage. It was a girl and boy, both dressed _entirely_ in black; they had to be sweltering in this unforgiving heat.

The girl was dressed in a shiny leather mini skirt and a skin-tight midriff tank top with a ¾-puffy-sleeve cargo jacket made of the same stuff as her skirt, and wore high-heeled boots extending to her thighs. A red 'R' decorated the back of the jacket, as well as the tank top's front, and there was an 'R' charm dangling from a chain-link belt around the girl's hips.

The boy was dressed similarly, although his shirt was a T-shirt instead of a tank top, and did not reveal his midriff, and his tight pants were not leathery, and they were tucked in to hiking boots at the bottom. He, too, wore a black cargo jacket like his partner (but his was more masculine). Both wore biker's gloves, and the girl had on a sideways cap. The guy had short-cropped dark purple/mauve hair and dark green, almost black eyes, whereas the girl had dark, curly grass-green hair that came down just past her shoulders and sharp, bright brown eyes. They began reciting a poem of sorts:

"Prepare for trouble!" shouted the girl.

"And make it double," added the boy.

"We solemnly promise as Team Rocket Grunts,"

"To steal all Pokemon with our bad tricks and stunts,"

"To stamp out all joy in the universe,"

"And wherever we are, we'll make trouble worse.

"John!"

"Kerry!

"Team Rocket shows up in the black of night,"

"Taking off faster than the speed of light!"

"Run away now or get ready to fight,"

"But you'll never ever defeat our might!"

"We rock, that's right!" they finished together, striking a somewhat ridiculous pose.

Audrey, Beth, Joel, Keith, and Roger's sweat-dropped. Silence hung again until the music stopped playing dramatically; Team Rocket held their position, looking for a reaction of any sort from their hopeful victims.

"Take their Pokemon already," drawled a snooty voice out of thin air, and then a Gastly appeared, looking crafty. "Speed of light is right," it mumbled audibly. All seven people shrieked.

"Gastly, mind when and where you pop out!" snapped the girl, Kerry, placing her hands on her hips and frowning at the talking Pokemon.

"Yeah, you know, you really give me the heebie-jeebies," added the boy, apparently named John.

"Pikachu, Thunder!" Audrey suddenly commanded of her father's invincible Pikachu.

"Pikaaaaaa....CHUUUUUUUUU!!!" it shouted, unleashing its most powerful attack. The three new adversaries were electrocuted before the explosion caused them to fly away over the trees screaming.

"Man, Audrey, you're on fire today!" Joel remarked of his best friend, high-fiving her. "First you save a Bulbasaur, then you get rid of Team Rocket!"

"Oh, it's natural," she cooed, strutting around the other four amid their laughs at her ridiculousness. And then they finally went back to the city to do something else.

**To be continued...**


	6. Be Careful What You Fish For

**Chapter 5: Be Careful What You "Fish" For**

The five trainers arrived back at the Pokemon Center within a few minutes from their little...meeting with Team Rocket. It wasn't even 11:00 yet. They decided to go swim and fish in the pond Nurse Grace had described to them; they had asked what Pokemon could be found there, and she had listed Magikarp, Poliwag, and Wooper. Although, she said, Wooper were quite rare and not frequently spotted, though they were proven to live around.

The twins and Joel all had swimming suits, and changed into them, but Keith decided to bring along food to make a big picnic lunch, and Roger was going to fish. What an exciting time they would have!

Beth immediately laid out her towel on the grass to catch some sun, and Audrey and Joel dove in to seek Pokemon—and get cooled off in the clear water. Roger was still pretty shy, and plopped down in the shade and weeds to begin fishing. Keith began slicing various foods at the only picnic table, watched with interest by Lightning, whom he threw a little scrap to now and then. Pikachu curled up near Roger and took another snooze; it wouldn't be able to sleep on the way home with Ash.

After Audrey had gotten good and wet, she lifted herself out onto the grass on the far side of the medium pond from where everyone else was to let out Sprout and Scout, her female Sentret. She noticed Joel was splashing Beth across the pond, and laughed to herself; Joel could be such a flirt sometimes. Suddenly, a Poliwag bobbed to the surface and stared at Audrey with its large black eyes. Audrey's breath caught in her throat: just what she was looking for.

She whispered to Sprout to use its vine to drag the Pokemon out of the water so that Scout could unleash some Tackles on it. Sprout listened intently to Audrey, and did as it was told. A few seconds later, Poliwag was flying through the air, one of its feet tangled in a vine. It landed hard nearby.

"Scout, use Tackle!" screamed Audrey, jumping up. The attack hit, and Audrey had Scout use its strongest attack (at this point) again and again, until Poliwag flew backwards into the water in a faint. "No!" she shrieked, diving after the Poliwag with a Pokeball clutched in her hand.

A trail of bubbles told her where to look underwater, and Audrey saw Poliwag fall into a patch of weeds on the pond floor. She dove down deeper to retrieve it, but something was yanking back on her right ankle, and she felt a small sting. Despite the pain of the pull, Audrey threw her Pokeball, which traveled slow-motion toward where Poliwag had fallen, and it caught a Pokemon.

Now she really had to struggle to get her Pokeball back, but managed to grab it just before a great tug yanked her out of the water; she flew through the air spread-eagle, and landed hard on her stomach in some itchy grass and weeds. She tried to push herself up, but was stopped as something hard hit her head and she blacked out.

* * *

When Audrey came to, she was on her back, laying on something fuzzy and staring into the cloudless blue sky. Four faces stared down into hers, looking concerned. She jolted upright, her head colliding with Roger's, and then immediately regretted that as a lightheaded feeling overcame her; she lay back down slowly, propping herself up on her elbows.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling like she needed to vomit.

"Well," began Beth, "right after you dove in, Roger got a huge tug on his fishing line, and nearly fell in the pond himself."

"We all ran over to help him pull up his catch," continued Joel, "and then we fell backwards after a long struggle, and saw something big land in the long grass and weeds."

"I threw my Pokeball, thinking you were a Pokemon," Roger admitted sheepishly. "And then we all came over, and saw you lying there, unconscious. And you had this in your hand." Roger produced a Pokeball, which caused Audrey to shriek joyfully.

"I caught a Poliwag," she explained happily. "Let's see it," Audrey demanded, crawling to the edge of the pond. "Come on out!" But a Poliwag wasn't what popped out of the Pokeball; it was a clueless Magikarp that splashed helplessly in the water. "WHAT?" Audrey suddenly screamed. "WHERE'S MY POLIWAG?"

Beth's eyes widened and she clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. The boys, however, did not restrain themselves from laughing: a very bad mistake.

Audrey turned redder than that wimpy Magikarp; that's when all the anger inside her erupted as fiercely as a volcano.

"HOW THE HECK DID I CATCH A _MAGIKARP_?"

The boys laughed harder than ever.

"AND HOW _DARE_ YOU INSULT ME BY LAUGHING!"

Silence fell so suddenly that time seemed to freeze.

"HAVE YOU NO IDEA WHAT MAGIKARP EVOLVE INTO?" Audrey continued her onslaught on the boys' consciences. Not a sound was made. "_UGH_! YOU STUPID BOYS ARE _SO_ IMMATURE! GROW UP A LITTLE! YOU'RE MORE PATHETIC THAN MY MAGIKARP!"

A long, tense, quietness filled the air. She went to her knapsack and pulled out her Pokedex, finding her Magikarp to be at Level 10. "Only ten levels to go," she remarked matter-of-factly.

Everyone was quiet for a while, until Beth spoke up. She was always the only one brave enough to talk to her sister even when she was in a terrible mood. "Audrey, your Magikarp looks like it might drown," she squeaked.

Audrey looked at her gratefully, anger still lingering in her face, but recalled the poor, pitiful Magikarp. "Is lunch ready?" she asked evenly, calmly.

Keith cleared his throat. "Not quite. It'll be another twenty minutes to half-an-hour before I'm ready." He had barely finished speaking when Audrey dove back in to the cool water.

The boys looked at Beth, aghast. She shrugged. "She'll cool off in a few minutes, don't worry." And she dove in after with a Pokeball. She wanted a Poliwag for herself. Joel soon joined, and Keith went back to preparing the meal. Roger just sat in the shade, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He let out his Pokemon so they could run around with Ash's Pikachu and Audrey's Pokemon.

Joel resurfaced often enough to breathe, but one time came up chasing none other than a Wooper. He sent his Totodile after it, which was speedier than the slippery Wooper, and so caused it to faint pretty quickly. He lightly tossed a Pokeball and caught the Wooper. Beth came up right after he had caught it and asked how it went. She now gave herself a challenge of catching a Poliwag before lunchtime.

Keith made the dinner call soon after Joel's catch, and everyone gathered around. Audrey was in a much better temper, and nibbled her food, giving scraps to her Pokemon, even though Keith had made up special food for all the Pokemon. In fact, everyone had let out all their Pokemon, and so there was quite a nice bunch of them all around.

Beth hadn't come over to the table when Keith called, but dove back under, drawing a large breath. A few moments later, a Poliwag came flying out of the water and soared upwards. Beth's head and shoulders popped up right behind it, and her Squirtle next to her. "Squirtle, use another Tackle when it comes back down...NOW!" she cried, pointing.

"Squirtle, Squirt," it said, and met Poliwag in midair. The poor little Pokemon went flying again, and Beth readied a Pokeball.

"Pokeball, go!" she called, throwing the Pokeball at an angle so that it wouldn't fall in the water. It collided with Poliwag, and captured the Pokemon, then went flying toward the picnic table, and hit Audrey in the head, who screamed in pain. "Oops," Beth mumbled. She pulled herself out and retrieved her Pokeball, which had confirmed the catch. "Audrey, are you okay?" she asked her sulking sister.

"I will be," Audrey grumbled, rubbing her painful head.

"Sorry..." apologized Beth. "I caught this Poliwag; I had been sifting through the weeds, then I saw this Poliwag recovering itself; I bet it's the one you missed, Audrey," she bragged slightly. "So it started swimming away, but Squirtle chased it and now it's mine!"

Audrey said nothing, but munched grumpily on her lunch. Everyone avoided her for the rest of the time spent at the pond, so she was a bit more cheerful by the time they packed up and left. She and Roger decided they'd go to the small forest after she changed again.

Beth planned to hold on to Pikachu until Ash came, and she was just going to hang out with Joel and Keith. Audrey bid farewell to Pikachu, who shocked her lightly, and made off with Roger for the woods.

* * *

The trees were fairly thin throughout the small forest; Audrey wondered aloud what Pokemon might be in the seemingly calm wood.

"Maybe some bugs and Pidgey and Hoothoot," Roger speculated. Audrey nodded in agreement. They wandered in among the trees, which thickened and grew taller the deeper they got.

"How's your ankle?" Roger asked shyly after a while.

"Meh...it's been better," Audrey replied, picking up Lightning from playing with a suspicious-looking plant and placing her on her shoulder. "There's just a tiny scab where the hook caught my skin."

"That's fortunate," he remarked. Silence.

"So where are you from, Roger?" Audrey asked him.

"You can call me Rodge; most people do. I'm from Olivine City in the Johto Region."

"Really? Why not start there?"

"I've always been told that Kanto is an easier region to start in. Johto is only a little harder, but I really wanted a Charmander, so the only way to secure one was to start my journey here."

"Huh; that's cool. Oh, so I saw you caught a Rattata."

"Yeah, I caught that in that large field of Berries a while before the Spearow. I nicknamed it Whiskers; it's a boy. And my Charmander is nicknamed Char; I guess short for 'charming' but also meaning 'to fry to a crisp,'" he smiled at his explanation.

"Well," Audrey nodded. "Obviously you know what my Pokemon are nicknamed: Sprout, Lightning, Scout, and Scales."

"I actually didn't know about Scout's nickname, and I hadn't heard Magikarp's yet."

"Well now you know," Audrey remarked. They traversed onward. "Huh," Audrey said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"I've got this buzzing in my ears; I hate when that happens. Probably from water or something..." she trailed off.

"Ugh, I have that buzzing too," Roger said suspiciously. He looked around for a possible source. Nothing. They kept going. "Are you hungry?"

"Um, a little I guess," answered Audrey. They found a nice spot to sit and snack on granola bars; Lightning sniffed curiously at the little flowers that thrived here in the shade, and the buzzing grew louder.

"Oh, I should put a Pokeball chip in my next Pokeball so it's all ready to go," Audrey said as she dug in her knapsack for both items. She fumbled the tiny metallic disc and it fell into the grass. "Uh-oh." Audrey got on her hands and knees and searched carefully. Roger bent down too in front of her.

"Found it!" Roger exclaimed after a minute, and handed her the chip; she snapped it into place. He stood up and looked around. "We should probably head back; we've been in here for nearly two hours." (The time had flown by in their moments of quiet.)

"But we didn't see any Pokemon," Audrey argued, crossing her arms and standing up. Lightning jumped with a yelp onto her shoulder. "What is it, Lightning?" The Pikachu then went into hysterics trying to say something, and meanwhile, Roger pointed at Audrey's other shoulder. "What?" she snapped at him; his face was full of fear.

Audrey turned around very slowly, dreading what she might see. A swarm of Beedrill buzzed in place a few feet behind her, and her eyes widened with fear that matched Roger's. Suddenly, Roger grabbed Audrey's arm and yanked really hard, and led her in a run through the trees, the Beedrill speeding after them.

Lightning screamed and barely managed to hold on; it crawled along Audrey's shirt and tucked itself under her free arm; she held it fast. Audrey joined it in screaming as Roger began weaving more and more through the dark trees, still gripping her arm.

"Where are we going?" Audrey asked as they bolted on, only able to run so fast for so long by their adrenaline. "Have you found a path?"

"I don't know, and no," Roger replied between breaths. The Beedrill stayed close behind. "I think this is the direction we came from," he shouted.

"Then why are we weaving so much?"

"To try to lose them; it's not working, is it?"

Audrey whipped her head around. "No!" she shouted back. "What if we never get out of here?"

He didn't answer at first, just kept running with Audrey in tow. "We'll get out!" he shouted back finally. "The trees are starting to thin, and I think I see—GAH!"

"Yikes!" Audrey shrieked behind him as they fell straight down into a deep hole. "WHAT—" But Roger clapped his gloved hand over Audrey's mouth to keep her quiet. The Beedrill flew right over them. Lightning nuzzled against Audrey's chest; it was scared.

Their buzzing slowly faded away, and Roger noticeably relaxed and took his hand off of Audrey's breathless mouth. She breathed out slowly, petting Lightning softly. "_That_ was close," she commented finally.

"You're telling me," Roger replied. "Well, we should try to figure out how to climb out of this hole. Got any ideas?" He stood up, and reached out to help Audrey to her feet. Once she was up he let go, and Audrey stumbled and fell immediately; Roger caught her before she hit the ground again, and continued to support her as she stood weakly. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Um...it would seem that my ankle—the very same one that suffered this morning—is twisted most painfully. I am diagnosing myself with a sprained ankle," Audrey replied, trying to sound optimistic.

"Hmm...that does put a damper on the ease of getting out of here."

Audrey stared at his unexpected remark.

"Well, originally, I was going to hoist you up and get you to the top, then you could let out Sprout and have it help you pull me out."

"We can still do that."

Roger ground his teeth as if unsure. "The thing is, it's too dark to see how far it is to the top, and if you need to stand on my shoulders, then we're in a pickle."

"Oh," was all Audrey could say.

"Yeah..."sighed Roger. Then a thought visibly struck him. "Is your Pokegear in range? You could call your sister and have her get Officer Gabby."

"Yup, it's in range. How about yours? You could call...you could call..."

"Who could I call?" Roger prompted, smirking coyly.

"KATHERINE! That's who you could call," Audrey remarked, sticking her nose in the air with a frown.

Roger was quiet for a moment. "You know about Katherine?" he asked softly.

"I met her briefly last night, since I ran into my cousin Ralph. He and Katherine travel together. Oh, and Beth and I saw you talking to her in the café last night too. You didn't see us though."

Again, Roger remained quiet. His brow was furrowed.

"Just say it; I know you two are going out. But she seems a little old for you in my opinion. And aren't you a bit young to be dating anyway?"

"What? No, Katherine's not my girlfriend!" Roger retorted quickly.

"Yup, everyone denies it at first. Are you embarrassed by her or something that you can't just admit it? Then why go out?"

"I'm...embarrassed, but for a different reason. Katherine and me...well, we go way back."

"Childhood sweethearts? She's sure robbing the cradle," commented Audrey. Roger thought he detected a small hint of jealousy.

"For the last time, Katherine is not my girlfriend. And why should it matter anyway?"

"Oh, boy…" sighed Audrey. "If you think it doesn't matter, then you are sorely mistaken. If you're traveling with me, then you're telling me everything, got it? I never invited you in the first place, so I have a right to know about your life. You could be some creep for all I know," Audrey accused, turning away from him.

"Talk about creep," he mumbled.

"What was that?" Audrey snapped, turning her head to look at him sideways.

"Nothing," he sighed, rolling his eyes. They were silent for a while. "Are you going to call your sister so we can get out of here already?" Roger finally snapped. Audrey was so surprised at the change in tone of his voice that she jumped slightly, and fumbled with her Pokegear to dial her sister's number.

* * *

Beth was looking intently at a display in the Trainer House battle building when her Pokenav started vibrating, signaling an incoming call. It was Audrey.

"Hey Audrey, what's up?" she answered cheerfully.

"Oh, not much. You know, just wandering happily through the woods, being chased by Beedrill, then landing in a hole with the worst person in the world who can't admit that he's going out with that Katherine-chick. Sprained my ankle. Nothing too spectacular." In the background of Audrey's sarcastic response, Beth could hear someone griping—Roger—at how he wasn't going out with Katherine.

Beth sighed. "I'm leaving right now to get Officer Gabby. Make sure your Pokegear is on; I'll keep you on line here so that she can trace your location."

"Sounds good. I'll still be here, unless Roger kills me for making what he claims are false accusations."

Beth exited the building. "Audrey, why can't you two get along? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you like Roger. And are maybe jealous of said-Katherine?"

"WHAT? Beth, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Who suddenly made you the expert on everything?" Audrey ranted.

"Me," answered Beth shortly.

"Yeah, uh-huh. Well, I'll be waiting here. In this hole of an indeterminable depth. With Roger. Really couldn't get stuck with a better person."

"Good!" cried Beth happily, knowing her sister was being quite sarcastic. She kept the call connected, and stowed the Pokenav in her pack as she entered the police station.

* * *

Audrey noted the finality of Beth's voice and heard a bag unzipped and zipped again. She deduced that any further conversation would only be heard by the contents of Beth's fanny-pack. Audrey crossed her arms and sulked until Roger spoke a while later.

"Sprout could still probably get us out of here," he commented. "You would just have to throw your Pokeball up high and it would probably land outside the hole."

"What if Sprout's vines aren't long enough?" Audrey queried in a whiny voice.

"Then…I don't know," Roger replied, throwing his hands up in the air and casting his face heavenward. He was out of ideas, and found it maddening to be stuck with none other than _Audrey Ketchum_ in a stupid hole. He did not think their situation could get any worse. Except that it was just about to take a wild turn.

"Oh, look, a couple twerps fell in our hole!" said a voice from above. Audrey and Roger looked up with a gasp, only to see a bright light shining in their eyes. The voice was female and vaguely familiar—this was not a good thing. "Prepare for trouble!" Kerry of Team Rocket began.

"And make it double," continued her partner, John.

"Oh, would you can it?" shouted Audrey, trying in vain to stand as she shook a fist. "What do you want with us?"

Evil cackling came from on high. "Your Pokemon, of course!" John replied.

"No way!" Roger shouted.

"But you haven't even heard our proposal," cooed Kerry. "We throw you a ladder, help you out of the hole, and you hand over your Pokemon! Then we take off, and leave you spluttering in the dust."

"Well we aren't coming out," Audrey said pointedly. She purposely did not mention the fact that Officer Gabby and Beth were on the way. Suddenly, a basket was lowered on a rope.

"Just throw your Pokeballs in there, and we'll leave you down there since you said you aren't coming up the ladder," John ordered.

An idea suddenly struck Roger. He whispered to Audrey, who nodded approval. "But we have so many Pokemon; are you sure you can lift all of them out of this deep hole?" Roger inquired, giving a slight tug on the basket. It moved downward with his pull, but jerked back to its position in front of his and Audrey's faces.

"Bring it on, Kid!" yelled John.

Down in the dark hole, Roger helped Audrey get into the rather large basket, but held on to her just in case the Rocket Grunts were too weak.

"Whoa!" shrieked John. "I didn't know Pokeballs weighed so much! Kerry, give me a hand."

"You are so incompetent," she growled. They began to tug on the rope attached to the basket. It did not move. Suddenly, the Rockets felt a huge pull from below; Audrey and Roger both pulled back on the rope, and Kerry and John fell down their own hole. The small space was quite crowded now! "Oh, you wretched twerps!" Kerry screamed. All four people were in a huge tangle, Audrey on the bottom having been in the basket during the tug-of-war.

"Talk about incompetent!" yelled Audrey, not enjoying the fact that pulling Team Rocket down only caused her more bodily injuries. "Now _get OFF _me!"

Team Rocket immediately jumped to their feet, grabbed Audrey in a choke hold and twisted one of her arms behind her back. "Give us your Pokemon, or your girlfriend gets fried!" demanded Kerry to Roger.

"She's _not_ my girlfriend!" shrieked Roger. "What are you gonna do anyway? I snatched your Pokeballs while you were laying there a minute ago." He smirked victoriously and held up the minimized Pokeballs between his fingers.

"Yeah Roger!" rasped Audrey from the hold Team Rocket had upon her. "Lightning, don't worry about me; use Thundershock on Team Rocket!"

Lightning stood before her trainer and Team Rocket, looking sorry. Suddenly, Audrey nodded, and then proceeded to kick her foot backwards into John's knee and tumble away from her temporary captors. Lightning smirked and followed Audrey's command, and Team Rocket blasted straight up! However, due to the effects of gravity, they fell right back into the hole.

Audrey had released Sprout from its Pokeball and had it use its vines to bind Team Rocket until Officer Gabby came. Roger held on to Team Rocket's two Pokeballs, forgetting that Gastly usually floated around outside of its Pokeball. It was now glaring into the hole, wondering at its trainers' stupidity. The bosses would have to hear about this…

**To be continued…**


End file.
